Womenswear / London
Source material
Monocle plays the sexy librarian among the microfiche, squeaky book trolleys and satisfyingly neat filing systems. Here’s the result of our meticulous research into women’s springwear.
Evolution theory
There’s more to Darwin than cyclones and crocodiles. A young population, a gas deal, a vibrant Asian culture and now a base for US Marines are changing its outback image.Mittel class
Hungary has become the bête noir of Europe as fears grow that its government has a rather loose grasp of democracy. It shouldn’t be like this. The country has the talent and heritage to sell Brand Magyar to the world.Sheer genius
Fine fleeces /Having faltered during the 1990s, the Australian Merino wool industry is seeing a resurgence on the back of a growing luxury market in China and it’s proving a welcome boost to Brand Australia along the way.Beer in mind
High taxes and rigid regulation have made it a tough sell for Japan’s artisan beer makers. But increasingly astute drinkers are starting to appreciate the superior quality product micro-breweries have to offer.Flag flyers
Poland’s cluster of aviation companies balances local expertise with heavy foreign investment. Monocle flew in to see the collaboration.Map it out
Mapmaking is an art unto itself, an intricate task of recording the most minute details and, more importantly, interpreting the world for tourists and travellers. But they’re also open to manipulation – once the politicians get involved.News of the world
Broadcasting in 60 languages on the radio and with 27 foreign-language TV news programmes each week, SBS is a truly international news outlet – an unusual epithet in the world of Australian media.Good wood
Since 1880 Horgenglarus has made furniture using time-honoured techniques. That’s why its classic, sturdy chairs are still in high demand in the Alpine nation, used by both parliament and the general public, and have become a byword for Swissness.Joint effort
Midland Atelier is a design powerhouse that attracts people to train from all over the world and offers opportunities to local creative talent. In Western Australia, where mining is the major industry, it’s a breath of fresh air.You Pitti things
Pitti Uomo biannual menswear show is seen as a crystal ball for the fashion industry. Monocle visits to test the mood.It’s about time
Neutrality and a stable currency help reinforce Switzerland’s image as a haven of tranquillity within Europe. The same could be said for the country’s high-end watchmakers, who at this year’s Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie in Geneva seemed blissfully indifferent to the downgrades and debt crisis sweeping the continent.
Europe Briefing
London's mayoral election, shenanigans in the Spanish royal family, and why people are leaving Portugal.Americas Briefing
Hugo Chávez and his gas-guzzling motorcade, Cuba spruces up its colonial buildings, and the view from Washington of the Republican presidential candidate campaign.Asia Briefing
The sartorial preferences of North Korea's new Supreme Leader, the big ambitions of Seoul's Incheon airport, and a Q&A with the head of an Indian bicycle rental company.Africa/Middle East Briefing
Why Africa is frantically going green, Saudi Arabia is desperately building houses, and South Africa is learning to love fracking.Oceania Briefing
Eurozone citizens head to Australia, schools get tough on pupils in Micronesia, and the authorities investigate dolphin smuggling in the Solomon Islands.Defence Briefing
Saudi's Arabia's big weapons spend and a personnel shortage in the Polish Army.Diplomacy Briefing
We meet ambassador Ido Aharoni, the Consul General of Israel to New York, and bring you the latest from the diplomatic world.Business Briefing
Urban farming in Chicago, Zimbabwe's women security guards and Japan's eco-billboardsCulture Briefing
Film, music and book reviews plus our culture editor Robert Bound looks at the value of good criticismMedia Briefing
We meet the comic book publisher whose latest title is about Haiti's tent cities, plus other dispatches from the world of print, retail and audio.Fashion Briefing
Latest discoveries in clothes, footwear and retail ventures.Design/Architecture Briefing
A run-through of the best in the world of design and design editor Hugo Macdonald's column on Rome's hands off policy.
Make the cut
We get spruced up at an 85-year-old traditional barber shop in a Tokyo suburb to bring you spring’s fresh outfits.Source material
Monocle plays the sexy librarian among the microfiche, squeaky book trolleys and satisfyingly neat filing systems. Here’s the result of our meticulous research into women’s springwear.
Sydney
Going out in Sydney just got even better with new upstarts including a bike shop-cum-espresso outlet and a tequila bar.Monocle travel guide
Here are five of Melbourne’s newest off-the-radar bars and kitchens opened by young chefs, baristas, barkeepers and designers.Taking it to extremes
Intrepid travellers agree the only nuisance about a trip to the White Continent is getting there. But the faint-hearted can now bypass the sometimes violent Drake Passage by flying direct from Punta Arenas in Chile to the Antarctic Peninsula with DAP.
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